Our Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) provides strategic guidance and direction for our research and scientific programs. It plays a key role in guiding and prioritizing Komen’s global research investment and serves as the executive committee of the Komen Scholars. The SAB is led by the chief scientific advisors and is comprised of leaders in breast cancer research, clinical practice and advocacy who have made significant contributions to advancing the field and are committed to furthering Komen’s mission.

"Cancer will likely be cured at the water cooler, not the laboratory, when one researcher approaches another and asks ‘What are you working on?’ I have been involved with breast cancer research for over three decades now, and the most important lesson I have learned is that being a breast cancer researcher involves being a link in a chain, or perhaps, one thread in a very large weave. My own research has benefited from this ‘Great Weave.’ I have had the good fortune, throughout my career, to benefit from the collaboration of large numbers of people who care passionately about the breast cancer problem. My research has relied on a veritable army of physicians, nurses, data managers, statisticians, and most importantly of all, patients."

George Sledge, Jr., M.D., is Professor of Medicine and Pathology, and Chief of the Division of Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University.

An internationally-recognized clinical trialist and pioneer in the development of novel therapies for breast cancer, Dr. Sledge directed the first large, nationwide trial that studied the efficacy of paclitaxel as a therapy for advanced breast cancer. He has led many nationwide clinical trials involving new therapies for breast cancer. His research focuses on molecular and tumor biology, growth factors and anti-angiogenic therapy. His Komen-funded research focuses on finding new, druggable targets in triple negative breast cancers, investigating the process of angiogenesis (tumors forming new blood vessels) and identifying genetic clues that will decipher how angiogenesis occurs. He is also evaluating new technologies that capture tumor cells circulating in the blood stream, which may provide doctors with better tools to understand and treat metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Sledge is also one of the experts involved with Komen’s big data initiative. He was awarded the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in 2006 for his outstanding research.

"I appreciate the chance to give back to Komen, as well as the opportunity to brainstorm, collaborate, and affect change with other passionate investigators that share a keen interest in investing in discovery research and making advances that will prevent breast cancer and have clinical impact for patients with the disease."

Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., is the Executive Vice President for Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the B.F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Molecular Oncology, and Professor of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology and Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Dr. Pietenpol’s early research focused on the signaling of p53 family in breast cancer; p53 is a tumor suppressor gene (controls cell death) and is one of the most commonly mutated genes in cancer. More recently, Dr. Pietenpol has combined her research expertise in molecular genetics with bioinformatics and statistics to advance our knowledge of the key driving signaling molecules in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Dr. Pietenpol’s Komen funding supports research that identified molecular subtypes of TNBC and is now determining the molecular underpinnings of these distinct subtypes. The results from her laboratory-based work are being translated to several clinical trials investigating targeted therapies for TNBC patients, with the goal of helping oncologists determine the most appropriate and precise treatment for breast cancer patients.

“One of the most rewarding parts of my job is,
first, realizing the momentous progress that we, as a medical community, have
made in breast cancer.[While doing rounds on cancer patients at
Grady Memorial Hospital in 1983], the challenging questions in cancer were so
many and so interesting that I could not stop thinking about them.After 28 years, I still do at many times during the
day.”

Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology at Vanderbilt University where he holds the Donna S. Hall Chair in Breast Cancer Research.

At the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), he serves as Director of the Center for Cancer Targeted Therapies and the Breast Cancer Program, and Associate Director for Translational/ Clinical Research. Early in his career, Dr. Arteaga was the first to report the role of IGF-1 receptors TGF-β in breast cancer and their use as therapeutic targets, leading to the development of molecularly targeted drugs designed to inhibit these signaling pathways. Dr. Arteaga has discovered several mechanisms of resistance to HER2-targeted therapies, and he was one of the first to link aberrant PI3 kinase activity with tumors not responding to endocrine therapy in ER+ breast cancer patients. With Komen funding, Dr. Arteaga is investigating genomic alterations in breast cancers after neoadjuvant chemo- and endocrine therapy to discover drug resistance mechanisms that would inform genotype-specific therapies.

“Why most breast cancers
depend on estrogen for growth and why some become resistant to treatments that
inhibit estrogen’s function has been our motivation. Support from Komen has been
critical to defining how breast cancers escape endocrine therapy.”

Myles A. Brown, M.D., is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Trained as a medical oncologist, he is currently Director of the Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Dr. Brown’s research focuses on understanding the role of steroid hormones and their receptors in breast and prostate cancers. A translational researcher, he studies how female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone and male hormones such as testosterone regulate the growth of hormone-dependent cancers. His laboratory spans the full spectrum of research into hormone action from very basic work identifying the proteins and genes regulated by steroid hormones and their receptors to studies of actual patient tumors to identify mechanisms of therapeutic resistance. Through his Komen-funded research, Dr. Brown is currently investigating how estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers become resistant to endocrine therapy with the goal of using this knowledge to develop new breast cancer treatments.

“My career has
allowed me to merge my fascination with scientific research with my clinical
work, rewarding me with the sense that I can truly have a positive impact on my
patients.It’s an ongoing learning experience, requiring the
collaborative efforts of many.”

Karen A. Gelmon, M.D., F.R.C.P.C., is Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of British Columbia and a Medical Oncologist at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. She is also Senior Scientist and Clinical Leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Department at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre.

Her research bridges her clinical practice with her passion for research. She focuses on developing early drug trials of novel agents and improved treatment options for individuals with breast cancer. Her work spans Phase I, II, and III clinical trials as well as research to understand the character of cancer and its effect on patients. Dr. Gelmon’s Komen-funded grant helps to support two clinical trials: 1) determining which patients respond best to the treatment paclitaxel and why, and 2) investigating the DNA of patients with BRCA-related cancers to learn why some responded to a treatment called olaprib and others did not. Dr. Gelmon is also working on a trial of “spatial heterogeneity:” how genomic changes in different regions of the breast cancer correlate with circulating DNA.

“Only through research
can we discover more effective ways to prevent, diagnose, treat and cure breast
cancer. As a research advocate, I’m continually learning more about the many
forms of breast cancer, what’s driving it and what we are trying to do about
it.Most importantly, however, I can bring a sense of urgency to
the process and assure patients’ perspectives are an integral part of research
decisions impacting patients.”

Cheryl L. Jernigan, CPA, F.A.C.H.E., is a 20-year breast cancer "thriver" and cancer research advocate. She was previously CEO of the Kansas City Area Hospital Association, and has over 20 years of experience in health policy, advocacy and community/national leadership on behalf of hospitals.

She is Chair of the Breast Cancer Prevention Center’s Advocate Advisory Board for The University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Kansas Hospital, and she is the Lead Advocate of Patient & Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT), a new University of Kansas Cancer Center initiative. Ms. Jernigan is a founding and current board member and Chair of the Strategic Mission Committee of the Greater Kansas City Komen Affiliate, and a member of the Steering Committee of Komen’s Advocates In Science program. An active research advocate, Ms. Jernigan is a member of many clinical trial initiatives, including the National Cancer Institute’s Central Institutional Review Board for Adult Late Phase Clinical Trials. Ms. Jernigan is also one of the experts involved with Komen’s big data initiative.

"I am extremely grateful for having received grant support from Susan G. Komen that was instrumental in advancing my breast cancer research partnership between the United States and Africa – a wonderful intersection between the interests of global advocacy and improving breast health care in sub-Saharan Africa."

Lisa A. Newman, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, FASCO is a surgical oncologist, and Director of the Breast Oncology Program for the multi-hospital Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in metropolitan Detroit, MI. She is the Founding Medical Director for the HFHS International Center for the Study of Breast Cancer Subtypes. Dr. Newman holds an appointment on the NIH Advisory Council for the Institute of Minority Health and Disparities.

Her primary research has focused on ethnicity-related variation in breast cancer risk and outcome. She oversees an international breast cancer research and training program involving the University of Michigan, the Henry Ford Health System, the Komfo Anoyke Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, and the St. Paul’s Millenium Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This program has focused on studying triple negative breast cancer in women with African ancestry. Her Komen Scholar grant will study triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes in diverse populations, and create a new research field of anthropologic oncology, which can define root causes of breast tumor progression based upon the study of population migration patterns and reproductive history.

“My commitment to breast cancer
research is entirely a result of the challenges I see as a clinician. I see the
shortcomings of our current clinical practice and recognize that breast cancer
continues to lead to tremendous suffering and premature death. As a researcher,
I hope to find better approaches to treatment that will reduce the death and
suffering we see on a daily basis and improve our patients' quality of
life.”

Eric P. Winer, M.D., is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief, Division of Women's Cancers and the Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is the 2009 recipient of the A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Winer has devoted his professional career to the treatment of individuals with breast cancer and breast cancer research. He has designed and led phase I, II, and III clinical trials. He has collaborated closely throughout his career with psychosocial researchers, health services researchers, and both basic and translational scientists. His group at Dana-Farber conducts a broad array of breast cancer research with the goal of extending the lives of individuals with breast cancer and minimizing suffering and morbidity from the disease. Dr. Winer’s research interests also include quality of life, psychosocial aspects of cancer, medical decision making, and doctor-patient communication. His Komen-funded research is focused on reducing racial disparities in breast cancer and is also looking at preoperative therapies for patients with HER+ breast cancer.